Deep in the Magic Beast Forest on the Aika Plane of the Coiling Dragon World, a Saint-level Purple-Striped Black Bear had been guarding a sacred fruit that could strengthen its body.
For some reason, its neighbor, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, had found out about the treasure. Today, it had come knocking.
"Erdos, don't push me too far."
"Hmph, you big oaf. Hand over the sacred fruit, and I'll leave."
The Purple-Striped Black Bear was also a Saint-level magic beast, and it had already grasped a trace of the profound mysteries of the Darkness Laws. Worried about the sacred fruit's safety, it had originally wanted to avoid getting too entangled with the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was also a Saint-level beast.
"Hmph, Erdos, since you're asking to die, don't blame me!"
"Enough talk. That sacred fruit is as good as mine."
As it spoke, the Tyrannosaurus Rex charged at the Purple-Striped Black Bear. Among all Saint-level magic beasts with dragon blood, it was the strongest, and it also had the most powerful bite. It relied on its decent defense to make sure its neighbor, the Purple-Striped Black Bear, couldn't do anything to it.
Facing the Purple-Striped Black Bear as it charged toward it, the Tyrannosaurus Rex's crafty eyes flashed with smugness. It swept its tail at the bear, just as it had expected. The Purple-Striped Black Bear easily dodged, just as it had in their previous battles. That tail swipe hadn't been its real killing move.
"Ha! That big oaf fell for it!"
Thinking this, the Tyrannosaurus Rex had already opened its gaping jaws at the spot where the Purple-Striped Black Bear leapt. In its eyes, the great bear was clearly about to perish in its enormous maw.
Unseen by the Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Purple-Striped Black Bear's darkened face was filled with ridicule.
Shadow Clone!
By the time the Tyrannosaurus Rex heard those words, it was too late to bring back the tail it had swung or close its jaws in defense.
The Purple-Striped Black Bear in its mouth had turned into a phantom. At that moment, the bear's massive body appeared above the Tyrannosaurus Rex's head. One punch was all it took to snuff out the beast's life.
As its soul was dragged off to the Netherworld, disbelief still filled its face.
"Hmph. I'm not an idiot like you, only interested in making your body stronger."
The bear's face, usually thought to be stupid, now wore an expression of wisdom and mockery. It calmly pulled the Tyrannosaurus Rex's Saint-level Magic Beast Core from its skull.
It hefted the core in its paw, then flew toward its lair. But as it drew near, it discovered that the human ant it had sensed earlier was lying inside.
The human had seemed like nothing but an ant to its senses before, but now a pressure radiated from him that seemed capable of crushing its soul. It had seen a god before, yet this terrifying pressure was even greater than that god's.
The Purple-Striped Black Bear, Nis, didn't dare approach. After hesitating for a moment, it gave up on entering the cave.
Matthews lay there for two days and one night. When he woke, he felt terribly thirsty and hungry.
"No choice. I'll eat first."
Starving, Matthews had no choice but to eat the fruit that had been glowing with the light of life. Only then did he get up and look around the cave. It seemed to be the lair of some enormous creature.
"Good thing I'm lucky. That big creature hasn't come back!"
Matthews didn't know that the enormous creature he'd mentioned was the Saint-level Purple-Striped Black Bear of the Coiling Dragon World. It had already visited while he was lying there, and had watched him from outside the cave for a while.
If not for his body adapting to the Laws of the Coiling Dragon World, and the Golden Lotus in his soul sea helping him survive by drawing on the Sovereign's Might it had absorbed, his body might never have fully adapted to the Laws of the Coiling Dragon World.
If not for the Sovereign's Might spilling out and driving away the Saint-level Purple-Striped Black Bear outside the cave, he would have ended up as a pile of bear droppings long ago!
"How warm!"
After eating the fruit, Matthews felt warmth in his stomach, and a surge of power spread throughout his body. But he didn't know any cultivation methods from the Coiling Dragon World, so the fruit he'd eaten had gone to waste.
After adapting to the Laws and being strengthened by the Sovereign's Might, his body had reached the human limit. He had become the equivalent of a sixth-level warrior!
Leaning on the Death Scythe, which he used as a walking stick, Matthews left the cave.
"That feels great. First, I'll find something to eat."
Matthews stretched, then headed off in one direction.
After his last mishap, he'd learned his lesson. He drank only dew, and he made sure to roast anything he ate.
Early that morning, Matthews went through another set of the rough moves he'd practiced before, then prepared to continue on his way.
Just then, several members of a mercenary group spotted him. To them, Matthews was a complete greenhorn. In such a dangerous place as the Magic Beast Forest, he dared to light a fire and roast food without a care.
After sensing him, the captain couldn't detect any trace of magic or Battle Qi on Matthews.
The captain of the Mad Python Mercenary Group was a seventh-level warrior, and his men included a sixth-level mage. It was a powerful mercenary group. He turned to the sixth-level female mage beside him and asked, "I can't sense any Battle Qi on him. Can you sense any magic?"
The female mage shook her head too. Although she was a Water Element mage who wasn't good at sensing, she still couldn't detect any magical energy from this strange human.
After hearing that neither the mercenary group's captain nor its mage could sense the man's strength, a fifth-level Earth Element mage asked, "Boss, what should we do? Kill him?"
A sharp-featured fifth-level warrior looked at Matthews. Though his clothes were tattered, his face was fair and clean. After observing him for a moment, the warrior noticed that his hands and feet didn't look like those of someone who did manual labor.
Matthews had been a farmer's son before, but he came from a peaceful era. University students of that time were all fair-skinned kids.
Besides, after being injured by lightning, his burned skin had been repaired as his body adapted to the Laws. A body touched by the Sovereign's Might naturally carried an air of nobility beyond that of ordinary life.
Although that aura had faded considerably over time, weak humans couldn't sense it. But magic beasts and animals had far keener instincts than humans, so they could certainly feel that oppressive presence.
That was why he'd managed to travel safely from the core region of the Magic Beast Mountain Range to this place.
The sharp-featured warrior sidled up to their captain and said, "Boss, just look at that delicate skin. He's obviously a noble."
"Ugh—"
The Water Element mage was clearly disgusted by that comment and moved a step away from the warrior. He also noticed that everyone was looking at him strangely, so he hurriedly explained, "Boss, I mean we should take him to the city and sell him to an auction house. We could make a killing!"
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